Choose the action with the greatest impact

Portal: Geographic Importance

Strategy/ Challenge: Choosing which action will have the greatest impact.

Catalyst for Thinking: NGO Gift Catalogues

Description: PLAN Canada, World Vision, UNICEF, WWF

Objective(s):
– Choose a gift that will have the greatest impact on raising the quality of life in a developing country
– Make connections to course themes

Selection of Data:

• Students should be aware of what an NGO is and have some prior background as to their purpose.

• This activity is best used at the end of a course to connect course work to the real world.

Connect to Students’ Previous Knowledge

Invite students to pretend they have been given a sum of money ($100) to spend on someone significant in their life at their favourite store for a loved one. Have students share with the class what they bought and why they chose it. Maybe we can just add a transition here that has teachers making the connection to the task below.

Introduce Task

1. Share with students that they will have to spend $1000 on what they believe are the most important gifts - i.e. that will have the greatest impact on quality of life? - found in the World Vision Gift Catalogue. You have to purchase three separate items, each representing a different unit from the course. If we're focusing on impact on quality of life, we might need to do some introductory stuff on quality of life. There some good stuff in Caring for Young People's Rights pg. 1-9 + BLMs at the back - I'll scan it and upload it here - we might be able to adapt it for this challenge. There also ideas about how to introduce students to quality of life here: http://www.tc2.ca/pdf/ProfileQualityOfLife.pdf

1. Students will choose six gifts, two gifts that correspond to three units in the course. Then they will assess the magnitude of the impact using the attached organizer. Students will complete a write-up on the most impactful gift from each unit.

1. Have students connect and justify the most important purchases using information from the course and have them justify their selection with non-course evidence. Both types of information must be properly cited with embedded references to be listed on a Works Cited.

1. Inform the students to refer specifically to lessons, lectures, class notes, works sheets presentations and textbook when connecting their purchase to the course and in justifying their purchase. Any legitimate outside source may be used to affirm their selections.

1. Instruct students that each explanation should total no more than 250 words. They cannot use evidence/justification more than once.

1. Students are expected to present their information in an orderly manner of their choice. The specific information they need to include is

· The name of the gift, the number purchased and total cost of the purchase.
· The connection of the gift to course material.
· Non-course evidence to affirm your choice.





1 2 3 4
Hardly Any Quite a bit A Great Amount A Very Great Amount

Gift and Total Score	Breadth (wide reaching effects)	Depth (significant or profound effects)	Duration (long-lasting effects)
	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4
	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4
	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4
	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4
	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4
	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4	1 2 3 4

Opportunities for Differentiation:

Content

• The teacher can pre-select the 6 gifts for the class

• The teacher can have students choose from a fewer list of gifts.

• The teacher can have students choose fewer gifts to evaluate for their write-up.

Environment

• The teacher can use hard copy catalogues or a electronic version.

Product

• Students can produce a photo essay, poster, film, TV commercial.

Habits of Mind:

-Critically minded
-Empathetic
-Circumspect
-Fair minded

Critical Thinking Vocabulary:

-Evaluation
-Justify
-Empathy
-Reasoned judgment
-Proof
-Fact

	Needs work to achieve the standard Level 1 12.5-14.9	Almost meets the standard Level 2 15-17.4	Meets the standard Level 3 17.5-19.9	Meets the standard with distinction Level 4 20-25
Knowledge Do you understand which course content most appropriately matches your gift?	Your report demonstrates limited knowledge of course material pertinent to selecting appropriate gifts.	Your report demonstrates some knowledge of course material pertinent to selecting appropriate gifts.	Your report demonstrated considerable knowledge of course material pertinent to selecting appropriate gifts.	Your report demonstrates a thorough knowledge of course material pertinent to selecting appropriate gifts.
Thinking Did you use thinking skills in assessing the magnitude of impact?	You use thinking skills with limited effectiveness in selecting gifts and appropriately justifying the breadth, depth and duration. Ideas are very general and/or incorrect.	You use thinking skills with some effectiveness in selecting gifts and appropriately justifying the breadth, depth and duration. Ideas are correct but descriptions are general.	You use thinking skills with considerable effectiveness in selecting gifts and appropriately justifying the breadth, depth and duration of each.	You use thinking skills with a high degree effectiveness in selecting gifts and pointedly justifying the breadth, depth and duration of each.
Communication Did you express your ideas clearly with grade appropriate conventions? Did you effectively use embedded references to support your ideas?	Reading rhythm is constantly interrupted. Errors in conventions interfere with communication. You use embedded references rarely and ineffectively.	Errors in conventions distract from communication but the information can be understood. You use embedded references occasionally but they do not strengthen the argument.	There are errors in conventions but they do not impede understanding the information. You use embedded references regularly to strengthen the argument.	Some errors may exist but in no way do they interfere with the information presented. You choose specific and appropriate embedded references to strengthen the argument.
Application Did you make appropriate connections with non-course sources to justify your choices?	You apply your knowledge of course content to select appropriate non-course evidence with limited effectiveness.	You apply your knowledge of course content to select appropriate non-course evidence with some effectiveness.	You apply your knowledge of course content to select appropriate non-course evidence with considerable effectiveness.	You apply your knowledge of course content to select appropriate non-course evidence with a high degree of effectiveness.